Overview
- Nicolás Maduro is in U.S. federal custody after his transfer to New York, where he appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to narcotics-related charges.
- President Trump invoked the Monroe Doctrine and touted a revamped hemispheric approach he called the “Donroe Doctrine.”
- The administration signaled plans for U.S. companies to produce and sell Venezuelan crude, with reporting on an initial U.S.-controlled sale of stranded barrels.
- China formally condemned the operation as a violation of international law, and several Latin American governments criticized U.S. interference.
- U.S. authorities escalated energy pressure with early-January seizures of Russian-linked tankers, described as part of the broader strategy tied to the Venezuela action.